The Lenten Season: God's Faithulness

"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ." Gal:3:16

The Lenten season,which many of our more liturgical Christians brethren  are  are now observing at this time of year , emerged in the early years  of the Christian Church as a time of reflection prior to receiving the the sacrament of baptism and the transformation to the life of a person who comes to believe in Jesus Christ.

Lent, however is in many ways a sweeping overview of the plan of salvation which God himself has inaugurated for each and all of  humanity, if they will but freely receive it.

Lent speaks to us as well of the faithfulness of God to bring to pass all that he has promised.

Lent takes us from the promises and covenant made to Abraham down through the ages to the very coming of the one who is the crux of all that God has decreed, his Son Jesus Christ.


"Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,  “I am God Almighty;  Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,   And I will multiply you exceedingly.”  Gen:17:1-2

 What God was blessing Abraham was transformational , making him in many ways and all new person , his life would and could never be the same. Evan representing this transformation in changing his name from Abram (father) to Abraham (father of many). This tells us that what God would do in Abraham's life would impact generations yet to come.
 
"Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,      “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,  And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.“No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham;   For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”     God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations" .(3-9)

Faith in God's Faithfulness

Abraham received the promises that the Great God, the very Creator of all things extended to him. These promises spends the centuries , yet Abraham received and embraced them without ever fully realizing them within his own life time, all because Abraham knew that God who made these promises was faithful to fulfill them. That is,  Abraham recognized that he of his own self  could not bring all this to pass, but knew he would need to trust in his God to be faithful.Knowing that God was faithful to him enabled Abraham to have faith in God, therefore they were given and received all thru faith.

"For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.   If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.  For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

  For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,   as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") --in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." Rm:4:13-17

What this meant for Abraham,  and means for each and all who will but freely receive its, is  that,  it is truly dependent upon who God is and his perfect faithfulness to us. Her is faith even when we are faithless.

"if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."2Tim:2:13

We of our own selves could not bear the great weight of accomplishing salvation, our faith is vacillating and and imperfect, but God himself is true to himself ; that God has brought to pass what he has promised to the Patriarch Abraham and has sent his Son to do and be what we could never be or accomplish.

Promised Seed

 God in his promise to Abraham gives Abraham the hope that his "seed" will be great and that it is this "seed" to whom all the promises belong  and thru whom they are conveyed. The Apostle Paul address and identifies this seed as God's own Son Jesus Christ and that thru Jesus all the promises of God are shared with us, if we receive them.

"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ." Gal:3:16

Jesus is that one seed that demonstrates the faithfulness of  the Creator God to fulfill his covenants and promises, God sent his own Son so that we thru Jesus might be the recipients of these exceedingly great blessing. Jesus also is evidence that God was , and is, faithful to his word given to Abraham and fully justifies the Patriarch's trust in God.

 Father of the Many 

Paul expounds to us that the promise received by us does not come thru our performance  but thru trusting in God's faithfulness to bless us and to share in all that God has for us in and by his Son Jesus. 

"It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless," Rm:4:13-14a

Abraham did not "earn" what God offered , he simply put his trust in the trustworthiness of God to give it and Jesus is the certainty that God has done what he said he will do even giving us eternal life.

"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." (16-17)

The promise of God is for peoples from all nations to receive eternal life in his Son Jesus. The Lenten season speaks to us and  focuses our hearts and minds upon  the truth that God is faithful to us all  and desires that each and all people  will but freely receive what is already theirs in Jesus.

God is faithful to fulfill all his promises, not just to Abraham,  but each and all us as well. Amen

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

The Lenten Season:From Ashes to Life

 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”Heb: 9:14

The season that we are now in, the Lenten season, originally started in the early centuries as a time of preparation for baptism. During this period of preparation for immersion into the Christian life, the new converts would spend time in prayer, Scripture reading, reflection and mediation all in preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism, which during the late Apostolic and post-Apostolic periods baptism were generally held once a year, usually on Easter Sunday.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with a reminder of the truth that all will die. We all suffer from the fact that we are mortal and will, in the end face death; to pass out of waking knowledge and be forgotten. Death is the one great equalizers of all humanity it brings low even great Kings and commoners, all of us alike, rich, poor, free or bond.

The Lenten seasons begins on Ash Wednesday with a reminder of the truth that all will die. That all of us will become ashes and dust due to the sin that pervades all humanity. It is in many ways a solemn occasion for us to face death, to see it in the distance knowing that it is unavoidable, to be confronted with our own frailties and mortality.   

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Gen: 3:17b-19

Death would be the end results of all of our existence, if not however, for the Great love of our God. 

Who has acted on our behalf thru his Son Jesus Christ. Knowing this, that our Lord has acted for us should cast out dread and fear.

Ash Wednesday also confronts us with our sins which have resulted in our following the choice of Adam which has brought upon humanity all the suffering down thru the ages. 

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come”  Rm:5:12-14

Ashes 

Christians, who are part of more liturgical fellowships may receive the sign of the cross smudged upon their forehead with ashes. 

The smudge of the cross upon their foreheads has simultaneous multiple meanings; as stated already it tells us that we are helpless in preventing our own demise; we will be dust and ashes.

Ash Wednesday also reminds us that we as humans have a fickle nature in our relationship to our God, this is symbolized, again by the ashes, for the ashes are produced by burning the palm beaches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday observances; representing how we, like the citizens of Jerusalem, might greet Jesus with gladness and shout joyfully at the prospect of receiving his blessings , yet when Jesus does not provide according to our anticipation or act as we believe he should  we turn upon him and view him with contempt and scorn as many of the people of Jerusalem did  when he road in to that city. 

Many person in the crowd who lined the streets of the city and followed Jesus’ procession and waved the palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” on that Sunday were the same ones who on Friday cried for his blood and demanded crucifixion as Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate there at the Pavement of Judgment. They were fickle, and so are we all.

“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matt: 21:8-9

“But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.  “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.  “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”  “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified”. Matt: 27:20-26

Whether we would like to admit it or not, we all have, at one time or another have stood in that crowd.

Hope in the Ashes

Yet, the burned ashes which starkly proclaim our sinful state that leads us to death also are smudged in the sign of the cross, this proclaims to us that our Lord Jesus and his death upon the cross is the solution and answer to our human condition both of sin and mortality. 

Jesus has died on the cross to deal with sin once and for all. That we might be holy.

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Heb: 10:11-14

Thru Jesus we are not just forgiven our individual sins but all the more, we are forgiven of who we are (or were) in Adam and are now able to experience all that Jesus has accomplished for us.

“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Rm:5:15-21

Cross on the Mind

The sign of the cross upon the forehead also declares the answer to our human issue of sin. The forehead is the seat of our thinking, our minds. The cross upon the forehead represent the renewing of our whole mind, a complete reorientation of thought all focused upon Jesus and the cleansing work of his blood shed for each and all and reflects a mind led by the Holy Spirit. We no longer think like the world, rather begin to have the mind of Jesus Christ.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will” Rm: 12:2

As the power of blood of the cross of Jesus works in our lives even the sinful thought are .expunged from us, we are set free from the burden of past and all sins well, we can begin to live with a clear un obscured view of Jesus unencumbered with a fear that we “are not good enough”. We can serve our Lord at peace with him and ourselves for we have been saved by grace.

 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”Heb: 9:14

We are now free to live the holy life he has provided for us.

We can focus on Jesus, as our Lord who through his sacrifice given for us that we might live for eternity in fellowship and worship of the great God.

 The Lenten season gives to each of us yearly a time for us focus upon Jesus and all that he has set us free from and how we might live the Christian life in light of that freedom all provided by that one who has taken us from ashes to life. Amen

Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor 

The Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.

Washington, Pennsylvania.   www.gcfountainoflife.org

The Fountain of Life is heard  on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM  in the Arden Fair Grounds area of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com

You can follow the Fountain of Life on Face Book - Click on our Face Book link under our Helpful Links

What happened to Jesus’ Humanity?

  “If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about anything.”

(Motto of the Fountain of Life)

PART 2 OF 2

SPS:  To study the humanity of Jesus; its meaning and its value. 

INVOCATION:  Our Father in heaven, we pray in Jesus’ name that the following message presents the Word of God humbly, honestly and truthfully as it applies to the humanity of Jesus and that it bring glory and honor to Him.

The Mission and the Covenants

The Mission Continues.   In Part 1 of 2 we viewed the concept of prophetic type antitype as seen through Christ’s vicarious humanity as it applies to the priestly functions surrounding the Day of Atonement and Good Friday.  Let’s continue along that line and consider Jesus’ ministry as Mediator, Savior and King.   Christ Jesus is the mediator between God and man.  He is an everlasting Mediator and Savior.  The Old Testament priests died and were replaced.  But Christ, who lives forever, is a priest forever (Hebrews 7:23-24). 

Jonathan Edwards

The famous American Theologian Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758) explains that Jesus’ kingly office is also everlasting.  David and Solomon were powerful kings, but they died and were replaced.  But for Jesus, as Hebrews 1:8 indicates, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.”  Daniel 7:13-14 show that though all other kingdoms will be demolished, the Kingdom of Jesus will stand forever.  This means that His humanity at the throne of heaven is forever and ever.

The mission of Israel was to provide the world with a Messiah, a Mediator, a Savior, and a King.  That mission did not end at Good Friday or Easter.  The mission was inaugurated then by the racial son of Israel, Jesus Christ.  David, Solomon, Hezekiah ruled, occupied their places in history, died and were replaced.  But the Incarnation, the humanity of Christ is not an event, it is not a static point in history.  It is living, efficacious and eternally continuing through the prophetic Messiah of Israel, Christ Jesus. 

 Israel is intimately conjoined to Jesus Christ through race and prophecy.  Edwards points out that Jesus’ mission is eternal, therefore through Jesus and only through Jesus, Israel’s mission, election, and calling are eternal.  Because the physical messiah still lives, the election of the physical nation lives on in Him.  Let’s continue with this line of thought and look at the Covenants.   

The Covenants Fulfilled

Type – Ancient Israel:  Antitype - Jesus

Theologian Karl Barth

Swiss theologian Karl Barth (1886 – 1968) illustrated a point that a basic denial of Israel is in fact a denial of Jesus Christ.  He wrote that, “For the mission, the prophetic, priestly and kingly mission of the nation Israel is identical with God’s will and work, as surely as it has been set forth and revealed in Jesus Christ…Israel as representing God’s sovereignty on earth – becomes visible as a type.  But finally – and this concerns us – this mission of Israel is fulfilled in the appearance and coming forward of the man Jesus of Nazareth out of this people, in His unquestionable belonging to this people.”

The mission of Israel was to provide a Messiah to the world.  That is her election and God’s election holds for eternity:  Romans 11:28-29, “But as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sake.  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  The nation Israel provided the Messiah through the Jews, nevertheless, Jesus is Israel.  Hos 11:1 is about Israel and Matthew 2:15 is about Jesus:  “Out of Egypt I called Israel my Son.”  

 What does this mean?  If Jesus Christ is the fulfillment, the consummation of the mission and the election of Israel and if Jesus is Israel does physical Israel’s election still hold?  The election holds for eternity, the election continues.  Israel’s mission did not end at Bethlehem, Calvary, or the garden tomb. 

We will appeal again to Jonathan Edwards for help in understanding this.  Edwards pointed out that Christ is unchangeable in His office as Mediator and Savior of His Church and people.  The office of Mediator never ceases nor is it ever replaced.  Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man.  1 Timothy 2:5 shows, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Are Israel’s covenants therefore fulfilled?  Yes.  This means that they were all fulfilled and are fulfilled.  But very importantly, their covenants continue to be fulfilled in and through Jesus, and not in or through the past, present or future nation of Israel.  Continuing fulfillment through Christ is how their election continues.  In fact, the Old Testament already supports the physical fulfillment of God’s promises to the physical nation Israel:  (Joshua declared in Joshua 23:14:  “You know with all you heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.  Every promise has been fulfilled, not one has failed.”    Solomon spoke in 1 Kings 8:56:  “Praise be to the lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised.  Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.”)  Their election also continues in the racial Israelites who are in the Church yesterday, today and tomorrow.   

We remember that the primitive Church consisted only of racial Israelites, 120 of them.  In other words, the election of physical Israel, the type of Christ, continues through Jesus Christ a racial son of Israel; through Christ Jesus the antitype of spiritual Israel. 

GOOD NEWS OF GREAT VALUE

John Calvin

Is this Good News?  It is terrific news.  Christ has done for all of us what we could not do for ourselves.  He’s lived that life of obedience for us.  He has communion with the Father and is joined to Him and through Jesus, so are we.  In Jesus we find acceptance and worthiness when presented to the Father.  John Calvin (1509 – 1564) admonishes us not to look at ourselves, but rather to look away from yourself and look to Jesus.  And here we return to the effects of the Vicarious Humanity of Jesus.  Our standing with God is never in ourselves, it’s in Christ.  He’s the worthy one, He’s the righteous one.  The Good News which we hear from the Word of God is that the Holy Spirit joins us to Jesus so that all that is His becomes ours, including His righteousness, including His humanity, and we can rejoice in that.  His present humanity is the guaranty that He reserves humanity for us; or rather more specifically, that He reserves you and me to remain human with Him in eternity.   

When the devil tries to tell us “You’re not worthy, you’re not good enough; you’re not smart enough.” We don’t have to get defensive and pridefully argue, “Oh yes, I am. Look at my sound doctrine and good works.”  Nor do we have cower and give up saying, “You’re right it’s hopeless; I’m hopeless, horrible and unworthy.”  NO!  Rather we humbly and confidently may answer him by saying, “Don’t look at me.  Look at Jesus, He is my advocate.  He is righteous, faithful and worthy, and because of his humanity and the power of the Holy Spirit, I am in Him and I benefit from everything He has done for me and share in every good thing that He gives to me.”   

Beloved, in fact, we don’t have to say anything to the devil.  We just hold onto our big brothers hand and let Him do the talking.  That’s a huge comfort to me and to you too, I’m sure.

Now, brethren, mere knowledge of the vicarious humanity of Jesus does not save us.  But knowing about it does have great value.  Let us try to use poetry and imagery to understand what that value is.  Learning about His humanity, by adding it to our expanding knowledge of Him, it is as though we add another verse to the singular song of our own individual salvation and sing with ever ever deepening realization and conviction, that “O God, my God, how great Thou art!”

Benediction:  Beloved, may the song of your salvation continue to grow and deepen throughout all eternity.  May the grace and peace of God our Father, and that of Jesus our Lord and Savior be with you all.  

 Rev. George Relic, Assistant Pastor (724-583-9217)

Fountain of Life Church

2021 Old National Pike, Washington, Pa 15301

A congregation of Grace Communion International

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